Omaha – Food – Family

…returning to our road trip last May which was focused on visiting our families in Omaha Nebraska and the St. Louis Missouri area.

As I’d previously mentioned, part of our visit to the Omaha area was negatively impacted by rainy weather…but such is life.  At least we had a good chance to spend time with David II, his better half Amy and our grandsons, David III and Emmett Lee.

But…we did eat out quite a bit.  In this case we had a late breakfast at Tavern 18o, a polished modern venue with flair and color, warming and updating that industrial look that is so popular these days. 

Note the color coordinated bottles behind the bar.  Televisions in the bar are the norm these days.  In the photo showing the booths for diners, you can see wine bottles in the wall.  It sure doesn’t look like a breakfast venue!  It turns out that there are 2 dining/drinking opportunities under the same roof…with variations on the name Tavern 180. 

We actually dined in “T180”, a section of the operation that is open and serving breakfast/brunch from 7 AM until 2 PM Monday thru Friday and from 7 AM until 4 PM on Saturday and Sunday.  

Standard breakfasts are available from the limited menu.  I’ve chosen to only feature the 2 meals that were a bit different…not the ‘usual’.  Our server, Regan, helped us understand the menu and what the popular items were...

This is the Smoked Shoulder Bacon Eggs Benedict. ($13.00) Two poached eggs are served with house made hollandaise sauce over pecan wood smoked shoulder bacon on a toasted English muffin.  Normally it is served with chives and Spanish pimento.  Note the small fruit cup and fried potatoes as sides.

Other options include: Ice Cream Battered French Toast with fresh strawberries, whipped cream and powdered sugar ($13.00), and; Avocado Toast with fresh guacamole, marinated wild wonder tomato and a choice of fried, poached or scrambled egg. ($10.00)

This breakfast was quite inventive and definitely something that we’d never seen on a menu… This is T180 Oven Baked Starters Breakfast Flatbread. ($12.00) Diners have 2 different options with the flatbread.  One is queso sauce, scrambled eggs, jalapeno bacon, mozzarella, cilantro and fried onions.  The second choice would be savory house made gravy, scrambled eggs, smoked shoulder bacon and mozzarella.

Tavern 180’s dinner menu looks quite interesting as well…and it’s very expansive as compared to the breakfast/lunch version.  Tavern 180 has 4 locations in Nebraska, Iowa and South Dakota.  This location can be found at 203 North 180^th Street in Omaha Nebraska.  Phone: 402-905-0153.  Website: Tavern 180 | Restaurant-Bar in Omaha, NE & Ankeny, IA.

As I understand it, Barrel and Vine is a relatively new dining and live music venue in the Omaha area.  It is fully equipped…including a rooftop pool bar and of course, that live music.  It is the only Supper Club in town that offers brunch, lunch and dinners during the shows and other events.

 The bar is quite large and it’s fully equipped with mood lighting as well as big screen televisions.  Murals and art populate the walls.  The large wine ‘cellar’ is both impressive and an attraction in its own right…

Amy and David II sure look like they were enjoying themselves!  Their boys, (and our grandsons), David III and Emmett Lee were soaking up the good life and the food…as they neared the beginning of the college year.  David III will be a senior majoring in Computer Science at New York University and Emmett Lee will be a freshman at the Jeffrey S. Raikes School of Computer Science and Management at the University of Nebraska.

Note all of the dining space behind the boys...this is a very large restaurant.

On to the food… First the appetizers.  This is the Heirloom Tomato Bruschetta Crostini with heirloom tomatoes, basil, garlic, chevre and crotini. ($12.00) It was very nice indeed!

Unusual items make up about half of the appetizer menu.  Another option was the Roasted Corn and Smoked Brisket Chowder with potatoes, peppers and onion. ($12.00)

Emmett is into steak!  Hence the Seared Beef Tenderloin Tips and Dip. ($16.00) This offering included a half pound of “Omaha Steaks” tenderloin tips served with a choice of 2 sauces.  The choices were house buffalo, house barbeque, sriracha aioli, bourbon mustard and parmesan ranch.  Emmett likes his steak at least medium.

We also ordered Nana’s Meatballs but my photo was far too fuzzy to use in this blog.  The 3 large meatballs that comprise the order are made from a family recipe and come with marinara sauce, mozzarella and parmesan cheese. ($15.00) I thought that they were quite good…

I must make note of one other unusual appetizer…that no one ordered but which I’d like to taste as the “Mac and Cheese Spring Rolls”, made with cheddar, jack, parmesan and goat cheese, are outside my usual taste ‘wheelhouse’. ($11.00)

This is the Barrel and Vine Burger. ($15.00) Two ground steak patties, cheddar cheese, and sriracha aioli are served on a brioche bun accompanied by French fries.  Diners can add bacon ($2.00), a fried egg ($2.00), guacamole ($2.00) or roast jalapeno. ($1.00)

If I had chosen a burger, it would have been the Smoked Brisket BBQ Burger. ($16.00) This option is comprised of a ground steak patty, smoked cheddar cheese, house smoked brisket, bacon, BBQ sauce and an onion ring.  I would have given the onion ring to Laurie as a treat…as I don’t care for them.  Would I have added a fried egg?  We may never know…  

I’m not sure who ordered the Grilled Mahi Mahi Sandwich with French Fries. ($16.00) The grilled mahi mahi came on a ciabatta bun with lemon caper aioli, arugula and bruschetta tomatoes.

I was a little surprised that neither Laurie nor Amy ordered the Cucumber, Avocado and Bacon Sandwich on grilled thick-sliced sourdough bread with arugula and the sriracha aioli. ($12.00)

This platter of food was ordered by David II.  The House Smoked BBQ Pork Tenderloin with whisky sauce was sided by mashed potatoes and grilled Brussel sprouts. ($26.00) I don’t remember any of this entrée making home in a carry out box…

Can you believe the size of this salad!  This is Barrel and Vine’s Chicken Cobb Salad. ($16.00) Laurie almost fell over when this behemoth of a salad was placed in front of her… It consisted of romaine lettuce, smoked blue cheese crumbles, hard-boiled egg, bacon, bruschetta tomatoes, smoked chicken, cucumber and smoked blue cheese dressing.  Wow!

Barrel and Vine was quite the dining experience.  Interesting atmosphere combined with a creative menu that wasn’t totally ‘off the rails’.  This restaurant is located at 1311 South 203^rd Street in Omaha Nebraska.  Phone: 402-504-1777.  They are open Tuesday through Friday from 11 AM until closing and on Saturday and Sunday from 10 AM until 2 AM.  Brunch is served on Saturdays and Sundays.  Also FYI, Barrel and Vine ‘celebrates’ Taco Tuesday with chicken, brisket, captain crunch chicken, blackened shrimp and grilled mahi mahi tacos… This restaurant’s website is found at: Barrel & Vine - Omaha Rooftop Pool Bar & Live Music Venue (bvomaha.com)

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave